“So we have known and believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and those who abide in love abide in God, and God abides in them…We love because he first loved us.” (1 John 4: 16 & 19)
God’s love for us beckons us to show His love toward others. One of the ways this church helps share God’s love with others is by visiting those of our congregation that are shut-in at home or live in a retirement center. For these that are not able to actively participate in the life of this church, there can often be a deep sense of loss.
Years ago, a ministry at FUMC Corsicana was started to meet the needs of those who were homebound. The name of the ministry is First Family Friends. Those that are active in this ministry have one or more people they visit each month. They offer their time, their care, and their commitment to serve in the First Family Friends Ministry as the hands and feet of Christ. Their gift of love makes a difference in the lives of those they visit for Christ’s sake.
The needs of the Friends visited depend on the individual. The visits are personal and the relationship and care exchanged between individuals are formed through Christ’s love. The ministry is simply about sharing God’s love with others. Here are just a few of the ways our First Family Friend members share God’s love with those they visit:
1. Letting each person know that we as representatives of Christ’s love;
2. Letting each person know that we as individuals and as a church care;
3. Helping to alleviate loneliness of those who are homebound;
4. Brightening the days of those whom we visit by simply being present;
5. Assuring the homebound that they remain a valuable member of the church;
6. Helping the person keep in touch with events beyond their present environment;
7. Love, love, love and Listen, listen, listen!
If you have a desire to be a part of the First Family Friends ministry, please give me a call and I will tell you more about this vital and powerful ministry. Pray about this ministry. Is God calling you to serve in this way?
God’s blessings are abundant. The lives of the persons being visited and the persons doing the visiting are truly blessed through this ministry.
“And the king will answer them, ‘Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.’” (Matthew 25:40)
Blessings,
